Sunday, January 30, 2011

Gaels Give Back

On Saturday January 22nd, the Iona players and staff participated in helping give back to the local Mamaroneck community. They traveled to Hommocks Middle School to put on a basketball clinic for young girls interested in sports. The Gaels coached the girls in scrimmages and relay races. The Iona program really enjoyed spending time with the girls and helping them become better players!

Saturday, January 29, 2011

Iona Wins Third Straight

Following Iona's 15 point win against Canisius, the Gaels stayed tough and pulled out an overtime victory at Siena.Kristina Ford and Anda Ivkovic recorded just the second and third Iona double-doubles of the year; Ford leading with a season-best 19 points and 11 rebounds while Ivkovic added 12 points and ten boards. As a team, the Gaels outrebounded the Saints 54-44.

The Saints led 32-23 at intermission and were up by six with 3:44 left in the second half. Ford knocked down a jumper to cut the lead to four with 3:20 to play and Ivkovic drained a three-point shot, bringing the Gaels within one with 1:41 on the clock. Siena's Maja Gerlyng connected on two free throw attempts to push the margin back up to three at 50-47. With 20.7 seconds remaining in regulation, Ford nailed her only trey of the night to knot the score at 50-all and send the game into overtime.

In the five extra minutes, Iona was able to hold Siena to an 0-4 shooting performance while picking up points on a layup by Marissa Flagg and a trio of foul shots by Ford and Tomica Bacic. Iona's defense was once again a key factor in the team's success as the Saints could only manage 18 points in the last 25 minutes of play, with just one field goal and three points past the 9:17 mark of the second half.

Sunday, January 23, 2011

Iona Gets Second League Win Against Rider

NEW ROCHELLE, NY - Junior Tomica Bacic scored a career-high 22 points to lead the Iona College women's basketball team in a 92-61 victory over Rider at the Hynes Athletics Center. The Gaels (6-13 overall) ended a two-game losing streak and picked up their second league win to improve to 2-5 in MAAC play.

Iona led for all but four minutes, when Rider (2-16, 2-5 MAAC) took a three-point advantage on back-to-back field goals by Ali Heller and Caitlin Bopp early in the first half. The Gaels quickly came back from the 10-7 deficit and moved in front for good on a jumper by Bacic at the 10:21 mark. Iona mounted a 21-6 run over the final 9:18 of the half to lead 34-17 at the break.

The squad went on to shoot a sparkling 61.3% in the second half with six three-pointers. Iona had a season-best nine treys in the game and also set a new standard for the year with a 52.5% field goal percentage. The team's 92 points were the most since putting up the same number at Rider during the 2008-09 campaign.

Bacic was one rebound shy of a double-double, adding nine boards to her 22 points. She shot 7-9 from the floor and was a perfect 7-7 at the free throw line. Marissa Flagg had 11 points, and Milica Paligoric and Anda Ivkovic followed with ten points apiece. Paligoric added seven rebounds. Catherine Lutz (9 pts) and Jackie Marshall (8 pts) both picked up season highs.

Iona tries to continue the streak today against Canisius at 2 p.m. at home. Come out and cheer the Gaels on!

Wednesday, January 12, 2011

CATCHING UP WITH ANNA MCLEAN - ICGaels.com — Official Web site of Iona College Athletics

CATCHING UP WITH ANNA MCLEAN - ICGaels.com — Official Web site of Iona College Athletics

Gaels Get First MAAC Win Over Niagara

Iona snapped a five-game losing streak with a 71-56 home victory over Niagara (1-14, 0-4 MAAC) in conference action at the Hynes Center. Anda Ivkovic had a game-leading 22 points to match her season high and recorded her 1,000th career point in the win.

The Gaels trailed by six points at halftime and were down by as much as ten with 15:56 left in the second half. A pair of three-point field goals by Diana Hubbard bookended a 15-4 Iona run which put the squad ahead, 43-42, at the 10:42 mark.

The two sides then swapped the lead four times, with Iona moving in front for good on a Hubbard layup with 6:05 on the clock. Ivkovic scored the next six points and, on a bucket at 4:11, became the 21st player in Iona history and the sixth under head coach Anthony Bozzella to reach the 1,000 career point plateau. The Gaels steadily increased the advantage to take their largest lead by the final buzzer and win by 15.

Iona earned its 12th straight victory over Niagara, whose 36 turnovers were the most by a Gael opponent this season. Sophomores Hubbard and Haley D'Angelo both recorded career highs, Hubbard compiling 13 points and D'Angelo banking six. Kristina Ford had 14 points and joined Ivkovic to lead the squad with seven rebounds apiece. Marissa Flagg added eight points and a game-high six assists. Iona's 18 steals in the contest were also a season best. The Gaels hope to continue their winning way at St.Peter's on January 13th.

Tuesday, January 4, 2011

Siena Too Much for Iona

After ending its non-league slate with a two-game trip out west, the Iona College women's basketball team began the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference portion of the season with a home contest against Siena at the Hynes Athletics Center. Playing in New Rochelle for just the fourth time in nearly two months of action, the Gaels (4-9, 0-1 MAAC) dropped a 60-55 decision to the Saints (3-8, 1-0 MAAC).

The close-matched conference opener featured seven ties and ten lead changes, with niether team pulling away by more than seven points at any time. Knotted at 26-26 after the first half of action, Siena scored the first four points of the second half to lead 30-26. Iona answered to tie things up at 34-all with 14:50 on the clock.

The two squads kept it tight until a three-point play by Maja Gerlyng was followed by two straight baskets by Serena Moore, giving the Saints a 55-48 advantage with 4:17 to go. Gerlyng would lead all players with 20 points while Moore totaled 19 points and six rebounds.

Down by six with just 36 seconds left in the contest, Iona put forth one last push and closed the gap to three on a trifecta by Kristina Ford with 20 seconds remaining. Siena then put a cap on the day with a pair of free throws from Gerlyng to secure the win.

Anda Ivkovic led Iona with 19 points, banking 7-of-14 from the floor and 4-of-4 at the stripe. Next was Milica Paligoric with ten points who, along with Tomica Bacic, had a team-high eight boards. Ford and Haley D'Angelo each picked up five assists, and freshman Jackie Marshall made her first appearance in Maroon & Gold.

The Gaels are back in road action when they take on defending MAAC champion Marist at 7:30 pm on Jan. 4.

Sunday, January 2, 2011

Gaels Drop Two in Arizona

The Gaels broke a two-game winning streak with a 79-32 loss at Arizona (9-2).
The Maroon & Gold struggled offensively, shooting a season-low 20.0% from the floor. Junior Kristina Ford was the squad's high scorer with nine points and added five rebounds, one block, and a game-leading four steals. Milica Paligoric led off the glass with eight boards while she and sophomore Diana Hubbard posted five points each.

The Wildcats scored the first four points of the contest before Iona cut it to 4-3 on a three-pointer by Hubbard at 18:14. The hosts then surged to a 28-12 advantage by the 7:45 mark before logging 13 straight points to lead 41-12 with a minute and a half to go in the opening period. The Gaels closed first half scoring on a jumper by Tomica Bacic with 40 seconds remaining. Arizona would then open the second half with a 13-0 run over the first 5:20.

The Gaels were forced to play without senior captain Suzi Fregosi, and the team's second-leading scorer, Anda Ivkovic, was limited to just 14 minutes of playing time with back pain.

On the 28th Iona played at an elevation of 7,000 feet above sea level, the Iona College women's basketball team closed its non-conference schedule at Northern Arizona (5-8). The Gaels (4-8) were defeated by a score of 74-57.

Sophomore Diana Hubbard led three Iona players in double figures with 12 points and also led the squad with seven rebounds. Seniors Anda Ivkovic and Marissa Flagg added ten points apiece while junior Kristina Ford had eight. Sarah Schoof posted a career-high four points.

For the Lumberjacks, Tyler Stephens-Jenkins led all players with 19 points. Northern Arizona led 43-37 on the boards but were outshot by Iona, 40.4% to 39.4%.

The Maroon & Gold opens Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference action with a 2:00 pm home contest against Siena today.